Selective closure for attachment to cigarette containers and the like

ABSTRACT

A spring-controlled closure attachment with a small wire frame inserted into a cigarette package to close the opening made when the folded upper part of the package is torn away to expose the cigarettes and includes a finger-manipulated latch operated by squeezing the wire frame to release the spring operated closure. On the frame is mounted a cover made from lightweight plastic or the like which has a small, spring operated lid normally latched in place by means of a latch member and which is latched over one side of the small wire frame member and is operated by fingermanipulation by squeezing the frame to cause the lid to flip open to expose the cigarettes for removal and thereafter the lid is readily snapped back into place by hand. The lid may be made to open either longitudinally or transversely of the package and also may include a small barb-like projection which engages the packed tobacco in the end of the cigarette to lift the cigarette a small amount from the opening as the spring operated lid flips open thereby making it easier to grasp the cigarette between the fingers without damaging the end.

United States Patent 1191 Chambers SELECTIVE CLOSURE FOR ATTACHMENT T0CIGARETTE CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE [76] Inventor: Constantine P.Chambers, 4300 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, Ga. 30084 [22] Filed: Nov.26, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 202,235

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Substitute for Ser. No. 609,024, Jan.13, 1967.

1451 July 3,1973

Primary ExaminerLeonard Summer Attorney-Patrick F. Henry 5 7] ABSTRACT Aspring-controlled closure attachment with a small wire frame insertedinto a cigarette package to close the opening made when the folded upperpart of the package is torn away to expose the cigarettes and includes afinger-manipulated latch operated by squeezing the wire frame to releasethe spring operated closure. 0n the frame is mounted a cover made fromlightweight plastic or the like which has a small, spring operated lidnormally latched in place by means of a latch member and which islatched over one side of the small wire frame member and is operated byfingermanipulation by squeezing the frame to cause the lid to flip opento expose the cigarettes for removal and thereafter the lid is readilysnapped back into place by 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 3I875 v Can/57mm SELECTIVE CLOSURE FOR ATTACHMENT TO CIGARETTE CONTAINERSAND THE LIKE REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Substitute application forabandoned application Ser. No. 609,024 Filed 1-13-67.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention Closure attachmentsfor cigarette packages to cover the otherwise exposed cigarettes and tofacilitate the removal of the cigarettes.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an attractive closurefor a cigarette package which includes a manually actuated, springoperated lid.

Another object of this invention is to facilitate the removal of thecigarettes which are packed tightly into the package and to eliminatethe probing with the fingernails which ordinarily damages the end of thecigarette.

Another object of this invention is to close the cigarette package afterit has been opened in order to preserve some of the freshness of thecigarettes and to reduce the possibility of contamination from outsidesubstances as for example would occur when working around chemicals,vapors, liquids, etc., that might penetrate the ends of the cigarettesif not covered.

Still another advantage of the present invention resides in thelightweight and inexpensive construction which makes it available forlow cost or even as a premium give-away cigarette package.

An important feature of this invention is found in the latch arrangementfor the spring-operated lid which is operated by manipulating the frameitself and in one form simply by squeezing the package with the frameinside.

An additional advantage of the present invention is found in the meansoperated with the spring operated lid for engaging the upper end of thecigarette and lifting it slightly from the tightly packaged cigarettesin the package thereby eliminating the fingernail groping.

Another and further objects and advantages of my invention will becomeapparent upon reading the following specifications taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of one preferred form of the presentinvention in place in a cigarette package shown by dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the form of the invention shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 3-3 inFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of another form of present inventionwherein the lid opens in a different direction.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 4-4 inFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the modified form shown in FIG. 4.

Referring initially toFIG. l and thence to other figures of the drawingsas the specification proceeds, the form shown in FIG. 1 is designatedgenerally by reference numeral 10 in its complete assembled conditionand comprises a lightweight, generally open frame 11 made from a wirebent to form a pair of opposed, identical wire cigarette packageinsertion, sideframe members 12, 13 each constructed as a loop of bentwire which may be aluminum, stainless steel or the like, preferably oflightweight construction. As appears readily from the drawings, themembers 12 are spaced apart approximately slightly less than the widthof a normal cigarette package and are intended to be inserted over thesides of the cigarette package down onto the package runningsubstantially co-extensively with the cigarettes and held in place bythe spring clamp action between frames l2, 13.

Each member 112, 13 is provided at its upper end with a cover 14 whichmay be constructed from aluminum plate, stainless steel plate orlightweight plastic or the like having portions 16 bent around the wiresin members 12, 13 and which includes an openable lid portion normallyclosed by a spring operated lid 18 which is pivotly supported on a pivotpin 20 in a sleeve or hinge 21 having a coil spring 22 wound therearoundand having one end of coil spring 22 engageable against the fixed cover14 and the other end against the lid so that the lid 18 is spring biasedinto open position in the manner shown in FIG. I but normally remainsclosed due to a latch arrangement now to be described.

A latch means 26 for lid 18 comprises a friction release latch havinglatch portions 28, which are bent from the edges of cover 18 to fitaround portions of frames 12, I3 at the top wires designated as 30.Latch means 28 is actuated by manipulating the fingers 32 especially thethumbs against the opposed wire members 34 in the loop of wire whichforms frame member 13 and squeezing same as seen in FIG. I which causesthe lid 18 to flip or snap open exposing the cigarettes therebeneath.Manipulation by the fingers 32 which are shown on the hand 38 causes thewire frame members 34 to dis-engage the top wires 30 from the bentportions 28 causing lid 18 to open or close selectively according to thewishes of the smoker. It is to be noted in the embodiment of FIG. 1, thelid opens longitudinally, that is, along the major dimension of thecigarette package top and therefore the lid 18 opens on a hinge lineacross the package. The lid 18 could be mounted on the other side andopen in the other direction as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and describedlater on.

The cigarette package is identified generally and overall by referencenumeral 42 and is a conventional three-dimensional cigarette packageconstructed on ordinary cigarette wrapping machinery which generallytakes a piece of foil lined paper and seals it into a boxlike formationaround a tight group of cigarettes, usually 20 to the package. The top44 of the package 42 is normally sealed with flaps 46 which in turn arecovered by a revenue stamp. The usual procedure or custom for openingand using the package 42 of this sort is to tear away part of the flap46 using the edge of the revenue stamp against which to make a tearthereby exposing the cigarettes 50 packed in the end of the package. Itis also customary to tap the end of the package against the index finger32 to loosen some of the cigarettes 50 and this causes at least one toproject from the top of the package 42 for easier removal even thoughthis still requires some manipulation by fingers and sometimes thefingernail 52. Also, occasionally when the package is tapped against theindex finger 32, more cigarettes will .come out than needed andsometimes they will shoot-out too fast and fall on the ground. Also,unless the entire package is placed inside of some type of cigarettecontainer, case or closure device, the tops of the cigarettes 50 arepermanently exposed to the atmosphere and outside conditions includingany dirt and debris that might be in the pocket where the package iscarried and also the package is soft and flexible and will crush easilyif carried in the pocket. The present invention provides strength,stability and reinforced dimension at the top of the package to preventthe crushing of the cigarettes.

As seen in FIG. 1, the lid 18 may be provided with a cigarette engagingmeans designated generally by reference numeral 50 and comprising in oneform a projecting member 58 having barb-like portions 60 thereon whichengage inside the tobacco packed in the tubular construction of thecigarette 50 and catch therein sufficiently to lift the cigarette 50,and only one cigarette 50 at a time, a small amount from the top of thepackage 42 thereby facilitating the grasping of one cigarette andeliminating the finger manipulation and fingernail destruction whichsometimes occurs.

In the modified form shown in FIG. 4, the device is essentially the sameas that shown in FIG. 1 as to the frame 11 and cover 14 and the onlydifference is that the lid 60 of the construction represented generallyby reference numeral 62 in FIG. 4 is hinged on one of the wire members30and has the hingeline extending longitudinallly or the long-length ofthe cigarette package 42 which causes the lid to open transverselyrather than longitudinally as shown in FIG. 1. Lid 60 has only one bentlatch portion 64 which latches on wire 30 and has two hinge portions 66with a spring 68. Otherwise, the construction and operation of this formis essentially the same as that shown and described in connection withFIG. 1 and the other figures of the drawings including the option ofcigarette engaging arrangement 56 which may be provided on the lid 60.Squeezing or pressing together frame 13 to bring member 34 toward theother side, releases the latch engagement in latch portion 64.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my inventiontogether with an alternative form thereof and have mentioned variousadvantages and uses, this is by way of illustration and for the purposeof teaching preferred form of the invention, it does not constitute anysort of limitation on the scope thereof since there are variousalterations, changes, deviations, eliminations, substitutions,additions, removals, combined combinations, revisions and departureswhich may be made in the form shown and described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. In a cigarette closure attachment for at least partly covering theupper end of a conventional cigarette package after the package has beenopened to expose cigarettes in the upper part thereof and wherein saidpackage is the generally flexible box-like package having interior sideson which the present invention may be positioned, in combination:

a. attachment means for positioning on a cigarette package,

b. a cover on said attachment means extending along the long dimensionof the package top and across and covering substantially all of saidcigarette package, said cover being a relatively stiff, thin plate likeconstruction which reinforces the upper end of the cigarette package andtends to reduce the crushing thereof,

c. a portion of said cover being continuous across the portion of theupper end of the exposed part of the cigarette package above the exposedcigarettes and there being a displaceable lid mounted over said part notcovered by said lid and over some of said cigarettes,

d. latch means normally retaining said lid and cover in closed positionover said cigarette package and said latch means being manually operatedto unlatch said lid and to relatch same selectively,

e. means acting on said lid to displace same into open position whenreleased by said latch,

f. and a cigarette engaging means operated by said lid as said lid isopened to engage at least one cigarette and partly to extend same fromthe openpart of the package thereby facilitating the grasping of thecigarette by the hand and the future removal from the package.

2. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein there is a spring on said lidmounted between the lid and the cover portion to spring by said lid intoopen position.

3. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment means on saidpackage comprises a pair of spaced, frame members approximately of alength to insert onto the cigarette package co-extensively with thecigarettes and to position the cover member across the upper end of thepackage and superposed across the upper end of the package.

4. The device claimed in claim 3, wherein said lid opens by swingingtransversely across said package.

5. The device claimed in claim 4, wherein said lid opens by swinginglongitudinally across said package.

6. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment meanscomprises a wire of lightweight, thin construction, and pressureinserted on said package and wherein said cover member is a thin plateand, and wherein said lid is of similar construction to said cover.

7. The device in claim 6 wherein said cover has a latch portion latchedover said attachment wire, and said attachment wire is temporarily bentby hand to release said latch, said wire returning after being bent tosubstantially initial condition to receive said latch portion and latchsaid cover.

8. The device in claim 7 wherein said cover opens along a hinge lineacross the width of the package, and the latch extends along the longdimension of the package.

9. The device in claim 7 wherein said wire is on both sides of and saidcover is hinged on one side of the package to the wire and the latch onthe cover is over the wire on the other side.

1. In a cigarette closure attachment for at least partly covering theupper end of a conventional cigarette package after the package has beenopened to expose cigarettes in the upper part thereof and wherein saidpackage is the generally flexible box-like package having interior sideson which the present invention may be positioned, in combination: a.attachment means for positioning on a cigarette package, b. a cover onsaid attachment means extending along the long dimension of the packagetop and across and covering substantially all of said cigarette package,said cover being a relatively stiff, thin-plate like construction whichreinforces the upper end of the cigarette package and tends to reducethe crushing thereof, c. a portion of said cover being continuous acrossthe portion of the upper end of the exposed part of the cigarettepackage above the exposed cigarettes and there being a displaceable lidmounted over said part not covered by said lid and over some of saidcigarettes, d. latch means normally retaining said lid and cover inclosed position over said cigarette package and said latCh means beingmanually operated to unlatch said lid and to relatch same selectively,e. means acting on said lid to displace same into open position whenreleased by said latch, f. and a cigarette engaging means operated bysaid lid as said lid is opened to engage at least one cigarette andpartly to extend same from the open part of the package therebyfacilitating the grasping of the cigarette by the hand and the futureremoval from the package.
 2. The device claimed in claim 1, whereinthere is a spring on said lid mounted between the lid and the coverportion to spring by said lid into open position.
 3. The device claimedin claim 1, wherein said attachment means on said package comprises apair of spaced, frame members approximately of a length to insert ontothe cigarette package co-extensively with the cigarettes and to positionthe cover member across the upper end of the package and superposedacross the upper end of the package.
 4. The device claimed in claim 3,wherein said lid opens by swinging transversely across said package. 5.The device claimed in claim 4, wherein said lid opens by swinginglongitudinally across said package.
 6. The device claimed in claim 1,wherein said attachment means comprises a wire of lightweight, thinconstruction, and pressure inserted on said package and wherein saidcover member is a thin plate and, and wherein said lid is of similarconstruction to said cover.
 7. The device in claim 6 wherein said coverhas a latch portion latched over said attachment wire, and saidattachment wire is temporarily bent by hand to release said latch, saidwire returning after being bent to substantially initial condition toreceive said latch portion and latch said cover.
 8. The device in claim7 wherein said cover opens along a hinge line across the width of thepackage, and the latch extends along the long dimension of the package.9. The device in claim 7 wherein said wire is on both sides of and saidcover is hinged on one side of the package to the wire and the latch onthe cover is over the wire on the other side.